This Kiss
by snarkysweetness
Summary: [CAPTAIN AMERICA SPOILERS] With Hydra threatening to take out our agents, Skye and Ward venture on a dangerous mission to save Jemma from the Triskelion, but the Captain's reveal makes Skye realize they may not make it out of this one alive and it's time to get something out of the way that she's been putting off.


**Title: **This Kiss  
**Author:** snarkysweetness  
**Rating:** PG-13  
**Pairing:** Skye/Ward with an appearance by Papa Coulson  
**Summary:** With Hydra threatening to take out our agents, Skye and Ward venture on a dangerous mission to save Jemma from the Triskelion, but the Captain's reveal makes Skye realize they may not make it out of this one alive and it's time to get something out of the way that she's been putting off.  
**Warnings:** Spoilers for Captain America: The Winter Soldier and this week's AoS: Uprising.  
**Disclaimer:** I own nothing.  
**Author's Notes: **I saw the promo with the kiss and I've already been thinking about how things will go down after CA: TWS and I got inspired. Enjoy.

"_Be safe, Skye," Phil whispered as he pressed a kiss to her forehead. She felt the tears in the corner of her eyes but she refused to let them spill. He was right when he said she held it together far too well, but he had no clue how much she kept bottled inside. She'd never seen any point in dwelling on painful things, life was too short, but this was too painful even for her to bear. _

_Unable to help herself, Skye threw her arms around Coulson. He was no longer just A.C. he was the closest thing to a father she'd ever have. S.H.I.E.L.D. was her family and now it was literally slipping from her fingers and she couldn't lose the people she'd found a family in. _

"_Be careful," she hissed before pulling away, knowing if she wasted another moment Fitz would be barging down the door, demanding to come along on their retrieval mission. She couldn't lose Coulson, not after his near-death but she couldn't lose Jemma either._

_He gave her a small smile before reaching for his own gun. Jemma wasn't the only one missing; the team was splitting up and she wasn't sure if she'd ever see them again._

"_Fly back home, baby bird," he whispered as he touched her cheek before leaving her alone with Lola. _

She'd been so out of sorts she'd forgotten to ask him where exactly home was. The bus was no longer safe; courtesy of the traitor in their midst, and their own organization was out to kill them. Why, she was still unsure, but there had already been an attempt on Garrett's life, as well as Triplett's, and now there was a manhunt out for Captain Rogers. None of this sat well with Skye, but she was far more concerned with getting Jemma safely out of the Triskelion.

That was the mission: get in, get her, and then get out safely. But as the Captain's words ran through the P.A. system Skye realized this was one mission they might not get out of. S.H.I.E.L.D. was Hydra. Her family, the organization she'd come to believe in was a lie. And if it was killing those it deemed to be a threat…

"Skye, now is not the time for backing out."

She'd stopped in her tracks and found her legs were frozen. She couldn't even think of her friend dying let alone go in, guns blazing, into Hydra headquarters to find there was no one to save. She'd rather die than lose Jemma and if they went in there it would be a miracle if they got out alive.

"This isn't about us, anymore, Ward, you heard-"

"I don't care. This isn't about protocol, Skye; this is about getting one of ours out alive. To hell with everyone else."

There it was, the Ward that terrified her. He hadn't been the same since touching the Asgardian staff and then when Lorelei…well, it made her sick to think of anyone's free will being taken from them. She knew the rage would never fully go away and she was fine with that but she was scared for him. She knew what he'd done to save her life and then he'd killed Thomas Nash, for _her_. She knew he claimed he'd do it for anyone on the team but it didn't dissipate the sick feeling in her stomach that he was slowly losing his humanity and it was her fault.

Death followed her. Coulson had said it himself. And she wanted to tell Ward or even Jemma, but she feared her secret would put them in even more danger and she couldn't be responsible for losing anyone that she loved.

Guilt settled in her chest and she reached out to lower his gun.

"Why did you really kill Thomas Nash?"

She just needed to hear it. She needed to know that it was the Asgardian rage and his need to protect her and the team so she could accept her role in it and move on. But that wasn't the truth and they both knew it. Thomas Nash's death was her fault because Ward hadn't killed him out of rage or a need to keep a member of his team safe. He'd done it because he was in love with her. Ward was a terrible liar when it came to her and he wasn't exactly trying to hide his feelings for her, not since Lorelei.

Even if he'd been able to hide it from her, Garrett could see through him better than anyone else on the bus and he'd confirmed what she'd already known to be true.

It was as if losing his free will had given him the courage to accept his feelings and she'd been too terrified to really appreciate it until now. Sure, she was an 0-8-4 and could be an alien for all she knew and people died around her, but it looked like they were going to die anyway and if they were then she wanted to hear him say the words, here and now.

"I've already told you-"

"You lied."

"Now it not the-"

"Now _is_ the time, Grant. You heard him; Hydra is ready to kill anyone not on their side, anyone who is a threat. This was dangerous to begin with but now…I think we both know we might not make it out of here alive."

He shook his head and turned from her, raising his gun. They'd disabled the security cameras in this wing so they could sneak in, undetected, but they had no idea what was waiting for them on the other side of the door. "We're not going to die, Skye. Everyone will be so busy either teaming up with or fighting against Hydra they're not going to care about one scientist."

"Yes, people will be fighting, we don't know what we're walking into-"

"Dammit, Skye!" He turned to face her and she saw the Asgardian rage line his features. She didn't flinch before yelling back.

"Why can't you admit there is a strong possibility that we're going to die?"

"BECAUSE I CAN'T LOSE YOU AGAIN!"

Skye flinched this time but not because he'd yelled at her. So, there it was. His face softened and he searched her face before reaching out to touch her cheek. "I lost you once, Skye; I'm not going to let it happen again. I'd rather-"

"I know," she whispered. She knew he'd die for her and it terrified her. "But that's not what I want to hear." She didn't need to hear that he had a death wish. They might die and she needed him to say the words and if he was going to be stubborn about this, so help her-

Ward cut off her thoughts by pressing his lips to hers. She froze in surprise before smiling; Grant Ward the specialist had the softest lips she'd ever kissed. Who could have guessed? Skye slipped her gun into its holster before placing both hands on his chest and pressing her mouth more firmly against his. When he broke away a moment later she whined in protest.

"I don't think you're supposed to that while on duty, Agent Ward," she teased.

He stared at her with that look he always wore around her before smirking. She'd only seen him smile four times and that rare act seemed to be reserved just for her. She hoped this wouldn't be the last time she saw it. "To hell with the rule book." A smile formed on her lips as he kissed her once more. It wasn't the same as an 'I love you' but she'd take it.

"Come on," she whispered as she reached for the gun. "I don't know about you, but I'm going to live."

Skye didn't care what hell they were about to stumble onto or what they had to survive to save Jemma and get out of here intact. She'd found a family in her teammates and a home in Grant Ward and no one was going to get in the way of that, not even Hydra.


End file.
